Flamed
by TheRedRose777
Summary: For years, Isa lived in her own hell. She has finally attained her freedom, but it comes with a price: she is constantly on the run and can't trust anyone. That is, until she meets a pirate. To Isa, pirates are tricky, deceitful, and cruel; not to mention untrustworthy. But, surely, she could trust the man who had unknowingly saved her... MarcoxOC


Author's Note: Well, this story is more of a test/experiment. This idea merely came on a whim and I was curious if it is interesting and good enough to draw in readers. So alas, I'm posting this prologue a day before birthday.

If you enjoy this story, please review. Review equals motivation. Motivations equals writing. Writing equals more chapters. :D  
Oh and reviews could be my birthday gift! :DDD

Anyway, enjoy.

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**Flamed**

**Prologue Part 1: Beginning Flames**

It had been a while since Isa could last enjoy the cool, clean air freely and openly. She should've been wary and cautious instead of letting her guard down, but she couldn't help it. It had been months since the last run in, and Isa didn't want to keep looking over her shoulder while she was surrounded by beautiful scenery.

Though the woman had a small nagging feeling in her head, for the first time in her life, Isa had ignored it. She was too tired of being on guard. For once, the woman wanted to enjoy a simple and relaxing time on the island. In order to get rid of the nagging feeling and creeping guilt, Isa had reassured herself that it would be perfectly fine after the islanders themselves had said that marines rarely come to their island and, this part Isa considered strange, that they wouldn't dare.

Dismissing the suspicious thought, Isa strolled through the streets with a wide smile and a skip in her step. She was drunk; drunk from the happiness, from the joy, and from the freedom. She would never get tired of the feeling. Isa loved it to the bones. The joy of being able to walk through the streets without having to worry about and troubles lurking nearby, and the joy of being a free and normal person just simply going about their day, she loved it.

The woman let out a small content sigh and continued to linger around the streets, the stalls catching her interest. She had never seen so many colorful items and interesting things. One stall sold maps, umbrellas for the 'random' weather, weird devices apparently needed for safe traveling, and the same interesting device Isa had, a log post. Isa had been given her log post, and at the time, when she had seen such a strange device, she thought it was a rare item, and didn't realize it was a simple item needed for traveling. Isa learned that eternal log posts, on the other hand, were the rare items as she traveled and listened.

Another stall, next to the travel stall, was a complete contrast. Instead of log posts and maps, it was selling jewelry and clothing.

Isa's eyes lingered wistfully on the many different clothes. She didn't have enough money right now to indulge on more clothing, and she knew she needed to make some money while she waited for her log post to set.

As the woman wandered, she heard whispers and saw the uneasy looks on the faces of the town's people.

"What are they doing here?" one islander questioned her companion.

"I don't know, but they shouldn't be here. They should know better," her companion remarked with a reprieving look.

"I hope they hurry up and leave. I don't want any trouble," the islander said.

"They won't. I mean, really? Coming to this island? They must be insane and suicidal. If they don't want a death wish, they won't cause trouble. Though word of their arrival will catch soon, and I'm pretty sure the men will arrive to take care of this problem."

Isa was quite curious about whom the two women were talking about, and as Isa continued to wander, she continued to hear the whispers and talks. Though, the funny thing was, the mysterious group was never mentioned by name. It also seemed as if the name was a taboo or perhaps too disgusting to mention. _Perhaps I'm imagining it_, Isa thought, but the thought was a foolish one. The tension in the air was obvious no matter how much the islanders tried to hide it, and Isa had learned to observe and notice what the mood was.

Still wary, and now a bit cautious, the woman went to buy some food from a stall. As she stood there idly, a sudden silence overcame the nearby townspeople and she heard the loud footsteps.

Turning her head towards the sound, Isa froze and began to panic. _No. It can't be. What are they doing here? I thought lost them_. The woman quickly turned her attention back at to the food stall in front of her as the footsteps came closer and closer. _Please don't let them see me_, she begged to whatever entity was out there.

The tense feeling on her shoulders didn't lessen until the group of marines passed her, and though she still felt a bit nervous, Isa reassured herself she would be fine, but it was a lie just to get her through.

"Here's your food, Miss," said the vendor, breaking the silence.

Isa flinched at the sudden sound among the tense silence, and looked at the hand in front of her. Realizing that the vendor was staring at her with a raised eyebrow, Isa slowly grabbed the bag of food when she suddenly felt eyes on her. Eyes that belonged to the group of men that the islanders stared at with mistrust and shock.

_Crap, why couldn't he have given it to me when the marines were long gone_, she thought, wishing that the food would have taken longer to cook or perhaps the chef had to remake it due to a mishap. All the wishful scenarios passed through her mind, but she knew she was stuck with the current one.

"Thanks," Isa mumbled quietly, and though she was tempted to scurry off, the woman walked away slowly while praying and hoping that the man who was burning holes in her back would leave her alone.

The walk was agonizingly quiet, and it came to a painful halt when the man yelled across the street.

"Hey!" he shouted. "You, the woman with food in her hands! Stop!"

_Shoot_, she thought. Run, or let him inspect her. Maybe she could just play it off. The woman tilted her head a little to look at the man dressed in a black formal shirt and pants with a white jacket worn as a cape. A jacket that was a standard issued to every rank that was clearly above the usual grunts, a jacket that every ranked marine wore. Isa saw the scowl on the man's face at her silence and then, she caught a glimpse of a paper in the man's hand, a paper with her face.

_Just kidding_, she thought and after letting out a huge breath, she bolted.

"After her!" The marine captain yelled, and the group of men ran after the woman. Their attempts were blocked, and they skidded to a sudden halt when sudden bursts of flame appeared all around them.

"Captain, the fire is blocking us!" a man yelled, panicking at the sudden sight of flames.

"Damn it! Call the commander! Let him know she's here on the island, and that she's running to the other side." the captain ordered and growled with frustration.

Isa ran and ran until she could no longer see the men. The woman then proceeded to hide in an alley way to catch her breath and observe her current surroundings. A small sense of relief passed through her. She had escaped again. Though, the relief was short lived, as she began to worry. How did they find her so quick? How long will it be until they find her again? How was she going to get off the island without the marines finding her? What was she going to do?

So distracted by the her worries, she didn't notice the approaching presence of a man and the sudden click until a gunshot rang through the air. Isa tried to dodge the bullet, but it was too late. The distraction had cost her, and she was hit with a piecing pain. Her usual tough skin was pierced through as easily as the soft flesh it once was, vulnerable and easily damaged. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire when the bullet went in, and the pain was so agonizing. The woman let out a blood curdling scream as another sharp pain tore through her left side when she stumbled from the first shot. Isa crumpled as the waves of pain coursed through her. She was so confused. Why did it hurt so much? How did it get through her? Bullets normally never worked.

"Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?" The attacker said casually as he slid the gun back into its holster. He deemed the woman incapable of threat as he watched Isa fall to ground. She looked at him with pain in her eyes and a question of how on her face.

"Judging from your look, you don't know what it is, do you? It's a bullet made out of sea stone, and one of the best weapons in the world against you devil fruit users. Though granted, it's still a work in progress, and this whole thing is still quite new." The marine commander explained casually.

"You're powers are of no use now, and we'll be taking you back."

Isa began to panic, and through the agonizing pain, her mind scrambled for a plan to get away. She didn't want to go back. She would rather die. Isa knew she had to get the bullets out, somehow, before she bled to death, or worse, actually became captured.

But what could she do for a distraction? Her worries halted when suddenly, the buildings around them began to crumble, causing rocks to fall in between the captor and captive. The commander looked at the sudden wreckage with utter surprise and shock in silence.

_Now_, Isa thought, and got up with a pained struggle._ Run_, she thought, _run_,_ take advantage of the momentary distraction_. Each step was a painful torture and it hurt to move, but Isa had no choice. She had to run.

The marine couldn't purse her, having been blocked with the sudden wreckage and debris. He couldn't shoot her either, having drawn his gun too late when she disappeared around the corner.

"What the hell happened? I almost had her! Hurry up, you morons!" the commander yelled furiously at his group of men who finally arrived at the scene too late. "Find her or your heads will be gone! Your lives depend on this!" he roared.

The words from their commander caused the men to tremble in fear. Isa knew they didn't want to die, and they knew if the mission wasn't completed, their wish wouldn't matter, they would die. The thing was Isa couldn't help them; it was either her head or theirs. Knowing that the men would be spurred on by a sense of desperation, she limped a little faster as they all began to scramble to search the island.

The last thing Isa heard from her pursuers was their sudden gasps as she escaped, and when the woman tilted her head a little to see what the cause was, she swore, that for a second, she saw a little blue.

* * *

Isa was tired, so tired. She had managed to crawl her way to the forest at the far east side of the island, and the woman staggered as she felt a wave of fatigue wash over her, causing her to clutch a nearby tree for support.

Isa was losing blood, and she was losing it fast. As she struggled to reach safety, Isa had been unable to heal like she normally was able to nor was she able to use her devil fruit powers. The woman had quickly come to the conclusion that it was the bullets, or more specifically, sea stone bullets, and she knew she had to get them out. It was her first time learning that something else other than water could affect her powers. She could risk infection, but Isa didn't care. If she could get the bullets out, she was sure that her devil fruit could take care of the rest.

Isa leaned heavily against the tree as she lifted her right arm to her left shoulder. The wound hurt so much that just merely skimming it caused her to wince.

_It's okay_, she thought._ You can do it. You've seen how the procedure worked before_, she told herself.

Clenching her teeth, Isa's fingers dug into the bleeding hole. She wanted to scream. She never knew a bullet wound could be so painful, until now. Isa slowly moved her fingers around until she brushed against a hard object.

Taking a deep breath and shutting her eyes, the woman clenched her fingers around the bullet. She counted to three and pulled it out. The pain was so intense that it made her knees give out as her body crumpled to the floor.

It still burned. The pain was still there and though Isa got the bullet out, it only caused the wound to bleed even more, forming a pool of blood on the side of her shoulder.

It wouldn't be long until she would be found if she continued to lay there. With that thought in mind, the woman slowly got up and grimaced at the blood dripping from her shoulder. Isa clutched her shoulder, covering the wound, and hoping it would be enough for now as she dragged herself through the forest, looking for cover. Finally, after a long walk into the forest and having reached the end; which was a mountain, Isa spotted a cave to the left side and went in.

Isa didn't have any more strength to get rid of the last bullet lodged into her left side. Her strength was slowly leaving her from all the blood loss and the lack of treatment to her wounds.

_Stupid_, the woman thought. She was so stupid. She should've known better than to carelessly wander around the streets without being cautious. Isa thought she could risk spending one day relaxing and not have to worry about anything. That one day ended up causing her to be in the situation she was now, dying.

Though, depressing as it was, Isa smiled. She was told when she was younger to always look at the bright side, no matter how little the brightness seemed. At least she was able to enjoy a short time of freedom. She was able to see so many new things, and fulfill her dreams of seeing the outside world. It was so different, scary, and yet, amazing. The small journeys she had gave her happiness and joy. She had found her freedom, even if it was a bit short-lived.

_At least I'll find freedom through death too_, Isa thought as she lay in the cool, dark cave. She was far enough into the cave that the fading light of the outside was quite dim. The solid darkness and silence was all that the cave offered, but it was enough, for it was a place of refuge, a place where she could rest.

Isa resigned herself to her fate and slowly closed her eyes.

There was only silence in the cave until she heard the sound of footsteps.

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**Beta'd By Everlude**


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